Lambda variant of coronavirus begins to emerge in US

The novel coronavirus pandemic in the United States is not stopping and, in addition to the contagious Delta variant, infections caused by the Lambda variant – also known as Andina -, discovered in Peru, have now started to spread. spread.

In this regard, the experts pointed out that transmission in the unvaccinated promotes the mutation of the virus into increasingly contagious formsThis is what the CNN network portal said, citing several academics this Sunday.

The first case of the Lambda variant was detected last month in Texas at the Methodist Hospital in Houston and genomic sequencing has since identified 1,060 infections attributable to it, according to the independent data exchange initiative Gisaid.

Yes OK That number is a far cry from those attributed to the Delta variant, which accounts for about 83% of new cases in the United States., infectious disease experts said the Andean variant is one of the most found.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated the Delta variant as a ‘variant of concern’, while Lambda has so far been identified to a lesser degree as an ‘interesting variant’.

The coronavirus “has disturbing mutations, but this variant is still quite rare in the United States despite its circulation for several months”.said Preeti Malani, medical director of the infectious disease division at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

“It is difficult to know for sure how transmissible Lambda is and how well vaccines protect. So far, Lambda appears to be more transmissible than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus,” which is similar to Delta and other variations, according to an expert from the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

“Fortunately, studies suggest that the vaccines currently available are still effective,” said Malani.“We learned during the pandemic that things can change quickly, so controlling the spread of Covid-19 in general helps manage Lambda. “, aadi.

“As long as there is an uncontrolled spread of SARS-CoV-2, we will see more variants in the future. The only way out is generalized vaccination to control the spread and prevent new mutations,” insisted the specialist.

“In fact, there is an order of competition between increasing vaccine coverage and the development of new variants less responsive to countermeasures,” he warned.

For his part, Dr Gregory Poland, professor of medicine and director of the Vaccine Research Group at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, told CNN News Network on Friday that “whenever a variant is identified and it has proven its ability to spread rapidly in a population, one has to be concerned. “

“As long as the virus continues to spread, it gives it ample opportunity to mutate”“

Antoine Fauci

“There are variants that arise every day, so a variant can be defined as new mutations. The question is whether these mutations give the virus some kind of advantage, which is of course a disadvantage for humans. “The answer in Lambda is yes,” Poland said.

The United States is currently experiencing a new spike in coronavirus infections, as while a few weeks ago the country recorded around 8,000 cases daily, as of Thursday more than 127,000 have been reported, causing authorities to worry. because as cases increase, vaccination has slowed down.

Vaccines are essential to counter new variants of the coronavirus, like Lambda, which may remain rare in the United States.

The main person in charge of the fight against the coronavirus in the United States, Anthony Fauci, warned earlier that if the variant is not controlled, it is possible that new strains much worse than the Delta will emerge.

“As long as the virus continues to spread, it gives it ample chance to mutate, and when it gives it ample chance to mutate, sooner or later you can get another variant, and it’s possible that variant is, in some ways worse than the already. very difficult variant we are dealing with now, ”Fauci said.

According to Fauci, Poland has warned that the more people who do not wear a chinstrap and are not vaccinated, the more likely it is that additional variants will emerge in the future, including one that could bypass vaccines altogether. Because, as the coronavirus continues to pass from person to person, with each new infection it changes a bit, like any virus, and these changes or mutations can be mild or make them more easily transmitted and dangerous. .

Poland has considered allowing a virus to spread freely without mitigation measures, such as wearing masks or vaccination, playing ‘Russian roulette’.

“We will continue to develop more and more variants and eventually one or more of these variants will learn to evade vaccine-induced immunity. And if that is true, we will do it again,” he warned.